Paranoia
by Workaholic Praxian
Summary: Red Alert was paranoid for as long as everyone could remember. Unfortunately, matters are getting worse from here.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Transformers**

Paranoia

**Author's Note: Well then... I more or less threw this one together and so I'm not sure if the quality is the best it could be. I just got tired of it sitting in my folder, waiting for me to work on it again so I decided to just go ahead and post it already. I hope it isn't too bad.**

* * *

Decepticons were everywhere.

How'd they get past his security?

It was impossible, all of this was impossible. They couldn't have gotten in, let alone slip through his security measures.

This had to be some kind of nightmare. This just wasn't possible. He had personally created the security network that covered every last inch of the base.

There were no signs of tampering or hacking into the system, so how did they get in?

Where was the weakness?

Why wasn't anyone stopping them?

He notified the bots on base.

He sounded the alarms.

Why wasn't anyone coming?

Someone slammed on the door behind him, attempting to get in. The codes were frustrating the intruder, making the Decepticon want to break the door down instead.

At least something was working as it was supposed to.

He reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a blaster and jumped out of his chair. Red Alert then crawled under his desk and aimed his blaster at the door, waiting for it to give.

They were coming for him.

Coming to take him away.

It would only take a matter of time.

Where was everyone else?

Red Alert commed the one person who he knew he could trust, no matter what. :_Inferno? Where are you?_: Red Alert steadied the blaster, trying to keep himself calm. :_Inferno, I need you._:

Why wasn't Inferno answering his comm?

By the sounds of the footsteps, another Decepticon had arrived, and a larger one at that.

BANG

The door dented in from the impact, but faithfully held on.

BANG

It felt like forever has passed when Inferno replied to his comm. :_Red, where are you?_:

Red Alert could feel his spark jump at the sudden burst of hope. Inferno was coming for him. If anyone could get him out of this mess, it would be him.

BANG

Red Alert frantically responded, :_Security Room. Inferno, they're coming for me._:

The sound of the alarms were now accompanied by the sound of gunfire.

What took the Autobots so long?

BANG

The door, mangled and dented, fell into the room.

Red Alert took aim and pulled the trigger.

Just as one fell, more came. Intruders quickly overwhelmed him.

Red Alert was pulled out from the safety of his desk, blaster stripped from his servos.

His helm collided with the frame of the door with a loud clang as he was carried out of the Security Room.

Everything went black.

* * *

Inferno came to a skidding halt at the doorway to the Security Room, almost tripping on a dead Decepticon in the process.

Red Alert was gone.

A cold chill made its way down his frame.

:_Red? Red, where are you?_:

The only thing he got in response was static.

* * *

Red Alert came online to a mind-numbingly large processor ache. His vision was fuzzy and his audio sensors were ringing.

What happened?

"I-In-fer-no?"

Red Alert attempted to block the bright light from his optics, only to realize that he had been tied to a chair.

A door slid open, barely even making a sound. "Counterpunch: Services no longer needed."

Red Alert swung his helm to one side, catching sight of Counterpunch who had been watching him for who knows how long. The swift movement made Red Alert light headed and the room appeared to be spinning.

Counterpunch smirked at him before getting up from his spot against a wall. "Knock yourself out."

The door opened once again, allowing Counterpunch to leave and leaving Red Alert alone with Soundwave.

Red Alert tried accessing his comm, only to realize that it was disabled.

The other Autobots didn't know where he was. He couldn't get ahold of them and it was unlikely that they would find him in time.

Red Alert's processor started aching even more; turning into the worst processor ache he had ever had in the entirety of his functioning. The pressure was building and he could find no way to dissipate it.

His core temperature was rising and his fans couldn't keep up. He received error messages for the fans that kept his processor cool.

Soundwave was looming in front of him, getting ready to invade the mind of the struggling Autobot. It only made matters worse.

Red Alert braced himself the best he could, but it was all for naught.

Soundwave's presence was suddenly felt, pushing through his firewalls, parting them as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Once through, Soundwave began looking for the data he wanted.

Click

Red Alert cringed, gritting his denta and holding back a howl. The pain was nothing like he had ever experienced before. His frame shook and electricity zapped around his sensor horns.

Soundwave stumbled back, having aborted his quest for information in order to protect himself from the glitching mech. Regardless of how valuable the information was, Soundwave wasn't going to risk himself to try hunting for it in an unstable processor. The chance of obtaining anything useful was slim as well.

If anything, Soundwave would continue to feel what Red Alert was. He doubted that Red Alert would be able to get the data he was looking for in this state, even knowing exactly where the data was stored.

It was a lost cause until a medic dealt with the security director.

* * *

Jazz was in the process of moving one of the injured bots to the medbay when he got a heavily encrypted comm from Punch.

:_They have Red Alert._:

Jazz set his comrade down, making sure the Autobot wouldn't get even more injured in the process. :_Is he alive?_:

:_Hook's sending Longhaul to get him from the interrogation room. If you hurry, you can intercept him._:

:_Thanks fer the intel._: Jazz cut the comm line and looked around, spotting Grapple heading back from the medbay. "Hey, Grapple, can ya take Hoist to the medbay for meh?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." Jazz ran off the direction of the nearest exit. :_Mirage, meet me at the east exit._:

:_Hound's with me. Do you want him to come as well?_: Mirage promptly replied.

:_Yes._:

* * *

Longhaul was carrying Red Alert to the medbay when the lights went out. "Why is it always me?" Longhaul muttered, maneuvering his way through the empty hall. The sooner he got done with this, the sooner he could get some recharge.

He put a servo on Red Alert's helm, feeling the warmth radiating from it, even though the Autobot had passed out a few breems ago.

Longhaul sighed, knowing that Hook was in for a long night. With his luck, Longhaul would be asked to assist Hook in some way or another, even if it was only to get the lights back on.

Speaking of which…

CLANG

Longhaul crumpled to the ground, dropping Red Alert in the process.

When he came back online, the lights were back on and Hook was looking down upon him, a worried look on his faceplate.

Red Alert was nowhere to be found.

"Why is it always me?" Longhaul groaned, wanting to be sleeping in his own berth, not lying in the middle of the hallway at night.

* * *

"In-fer-no?" Red Alert muttered, helm rolling to one side, a tired look on his faceplate.

Where was he?

The mental image of the Decepticons who originally took him from the security room popped up, Red Alert's optics widened, struggling on the comfortable berth, trying to get away from a threat that was no longer present. "INFERNO!"

BANG

"FRAG IT!" Ratchet cursed at the offending object that was in the way as he was startled into consciousness.

"INFERNO, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Red Alert fell out of the medbay berth and proceeded to crawl under it, sensor horns lighting up as he glitched.

CLANG

"Slagging desk." Ratchet muttered darkly as he stumbled out of his office and turned on the lights to the medbay. "Red Alert, get out from under there."

Red Alert waved around frantically, almost hitting his helm on the bottom of the berth in the process, "Ratchet, they're coming to get me! It's not safe over there!"

"Red Alert, this is my medbay." Ratchet got to where Red Alert trembled, kneeling down next to the Security Director. "No one's going to hurt you."

"You can't guarantee that. Decepticons got into the base. What makes the medbay any different?"

"It's _my_ medbay and only fragging _idiots_ mess with me." Ratchet muttered darkly, pulling out a wrench and showing it to Red Alert.

"Where's Inferno? I need him."

"He's coming." Ratchet assured him. "Now go to recharge. You need it." Ratchet helped Red Alert back to the berth, watching the bot to make sure he went to recharge before going back into his office.

With a heavy sigh, he straightened out his office, moving his desk and chair back into place.

:_Inferno, report to the medbay._:

Inferno groggily replied, :_I'm on my way._:

* * *

"How's Red doing?" Inferno questioned, worried for his friend's well being.

"He's glitched." Ratchet said tiredly. "I've done all I can. It's not as bad as it was and it's manageable from what I've seen, but he's not going to be normal anytime soon. The best we can do is keep an eye on him and make sure things don't get out of hand."

"What kind of glitch?"

Ratchet met Inferno's optics, dead serious about the matter. "Paranoia."

A look of slight confusion appeared on the larger bot's faceplate. "But he's already paranoid."

"Even more so." Ratchet clarified, not liking this situation one bit. "You'll know when it's acting up."

"Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you tell him?"

"When he's awake, I'll tell him. You're the only one he's been calling for."

* * *

Red Alert shot up, looking around frantically.

They were here.

The Decepticons were coming for him and they wouldn't rest until they had him.

He just knew it.

There were holes in the security.

He needed to change _all_ of the codes.

Red Alert gasped, a feeling of dread washing over him.

He needed a new door to the Security Room or else he'd be a goner.

Red Alert's optic twitched as his sensor horns lit up from the small currents of electricity. There was a slight pressure in his helm, but it wasn't as painful or debilitating as it had been before.

"Inferno!"

Red Alert was suddenly grabbed, large red arms wrapping around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. "Shhh… It's going to be alright."

Red Alert twisted around, arms reaching around Inferno as he pressed his faceplate as close as he could against the larger bot. "Inferno." Red Alert whispered, glitch subsiding.

"Red, they can't hurt you now." He tightened his hold around the Security Director, "I got you."


End file.
